The correct answer is: A. Diffraction.
Diffraction is the bending of waves as they pass through a narrow opening or around an obstacle. When light waves pass through the tiny openings between the seashell’s surface, they are diffracted and spread out. This causes the light to reflect off of the inner surface of the seashell in many different directions, creating a beautiful golden effect.
B. Dispersion is the separation of light into its component colors. This occurs when light passes through a material with a different refractive index, such as a prism. The different colors of light are refracted at different angles, which causes them to separate.
C. Polarization is the alignment of the electric field of light waves in a single direction. This can occur when light passes through a polarizing filter, which allows only light waves with a certain polarization to pass through.
D. Reflection is the bouncing of light off of a surface. This is the most common way that light interacts with objects. When light hits a surface, some of the light is reflected, some of the light is absorbed, and some of the light is transmitted.